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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1731 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 06 2016 : 1:56:08 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by FakeYogi
A straight line, infinitely projected, must end in a circle.
Could that be the reason why this sort of 'who's enlightened here?' discussion seems to be going round and round in circles? 
Here's a more productive - IMO - question that each of us can ask for ourselves: Am I enlightened yet? And if the answer is 'no', am I doing what I need to be doing to be a little more enlightened tomorrow than I am today? |
Edited by - BlueRaincoat on Apr 06 2016 1:57:15 PM |
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Holy
796 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2016 : 4:20:47 PM
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Hi all,
here some more words to the topic :P
Whatever can change, continues to change. Whatever cannot change, continues to be as it is.
The enlightenment, that is eternal, that which always was, is in this moment and always will be, that which is unmoving, still, now itself, formless, the ground in which all appears and disappears, also known as sat-chit-ananda, is only to be realized (by whatever means) and valued.
The other enlightenment, which happens at some point in time, that which comes and goes, that which can continue, deepen, expand, grow, evolve, become more, has no end, also said to be infinite, is only illusion, maya, shakti, leela.
Now different people call the first one, also said to be Shiva the only true enlightenment. Some just call it awakening or self-realization.
Others call the first one (Shiva) in fusion with the second one (Shakti) to be enlightenment, aka realization of what is always one with the infinite universe that is in continuous change, also called god-realization.
The experience of some is, that the first can easily lead to the second and by this become full enlightenment. Others observe that many can remain in the first one, neglecting the second.
The poster here sees enlightenment having two parts: the one unchanging and already now, the other eternally changing, both being one :P
But the unchanging aspect is most essential as the heart opens up and says oh yes whenever it is realized and loved.
The approaches:
The Jnana Yogi will use his mind to discern between what comes and goes, what appears and disappears and will observe into what has never come, always was and forever will be. Having clearly identified the eternal, he will start valuing it by direct being, or by giving attention to it until he looses himself in it, melts into it and confirms, yes sat-chit-ananda is true. Silent bliss beauty is what I have always been.
The Bhakti Yogi will directly surrender all and everything, giving up all control fully and completely. The body, mind and emotions all will continue moving by themselves until the causes are exhausted and then all will fall back into stillness, revealing eternal being and endless bliss.
The Karma Yogi... yeah this one has a long way to go :P Eventually by purity of the heart, harmony of the senses, peace of mind, truth will reveal itself in some way.
The kriya or ayp or hatha or any other technique-based yogi will practice his daily sessions, decreasing the impressions of the past, creating stillness of body-mind, realizing the truth of eternal now, either first by the dominating stillness of the presence, or after having become one with the universe by shakti flying up to shiva and their union, again and again and again and again, at some point, revealing that which neither comes, nor goes and always is.
The lucky guy realizes all by grace alone :P
May the journey continue in realization of your true self.
Peace and happy practice friends :) |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2016 : 7:53:00 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by FakeYogi
"Another theory in modern times has been presented by several schools, that man’s destiny is to go on always improving, always struggling towards, and never reaching, the goal. This statement, though, apparently, very nice, is also absurd, because there is no such thing as motion in a straight line. Every motion is in a circle. If you could take up a stone, and project it into space, and then live long enough, that stone would come back exactly to your hand. A straight line, infinitely projected, must end in a circle. Therefore, this idea that the destiny of man is progression ever forward and forward, and never stopping, is absurd. "
Incidentally, the most fundamental shape of the universe is most likely the spiral, which is a combination of both circle and straight line. A spiral is a line that expands and withdraws from a central point in a circular fashion (see the Sri Yantra for an example). The geometry of a spiral is completely divine and perfect in its design and expression. It is a product of so-called sacred geometry.
The golden ratio allows form to both expand infinitely and to collapse back into itself. So, the option is perpetually open: keep expanding, or decide to return to the central source. Enlightenment follows the same pattern: expanding outward, and retracting to source, perhaps both sequentially and simultaneously. Just like breathing and the heartbeat, there is a back-and-forth rhythm.
The paradox is that each expression of consciousness is completely unique, even though each part originates from the same source. No two objects are exactly alike, though they share the same likeness of Being.
When it comes to progress, we can be sure that Earth will continue to evolve in perfect fashion, becoming more of a self-realized Paradise. In time, we will see the end of poverty, disease, and war, and all that will remain will be super-conscious harmony, unity, and playful competition and collaboration amongst inhabitants (with zero violence or residual friction—only traction in stillness to sustain every movement).
Just as the continents on Earth have become more connected, so will the Earth become more connected to cosmic and galactic locations (the AYP practice of cosmic samyama is for building interstellar bridges).
I have no idea of the chronology or length of time in which this unfolding will occur; I only know that such a destiny is as sure as the sun rising tomorrow. Obviously, there will be bumps along the way as things refine.
If there is to be a final climax of Earth consciousness, then it will probably be marked by a collective mahasamadhi in which every single being, including the Earth itself, will voluntarily and consciously return to the infinite source. It would be the most sublime death that could ever be imagined. "A champagne supernova in the sky."
Walt Whitman wrote:
I have heard what the talkers were talking, the talk of the beginning and the end,
But I do not talk of the beginning or the end.
There was never any more inception than there is now,
Nor any more youth or age than there is now,
And will never be any more perfection than there is now,
Nor any more heaven or hell than there is now.
Urge and urge and urge,
Always the procreant urge of the world.
Out of the dimness opposite equals advance, always substance and increase, always sex,
Always a knit of identity, always distinction, always a breed of life.
To elaborate is no avail, learn'd and unlearn'd feel that it is so.
Sure as the most certain sure, plumb in the uprights, well-entretied, braced in the beams,
Stout as a horse, affectionate, haughty, electrical,
I and this mystery—here we stand.
Clear and sweet is my soul, and clear and sweet is all that is not my soul.
Lack one lacks both, and the unseen is proved by the seen,
Till that becomes unseen and receives proof in its turn.
Showing the best and dividing it from the worst, age vexes age,
Knowing the perfect fitness and equanimity of things, while they discuss, I am silent, and go bathe and admire myself.
Welcome is every organ and attribute of me, and of any man hearty and clean,
Not an inch nor a particle of an inch is vile, and none shall be less familiar than the rest.
...
In summary: We can reasonably conclude that all of this is part of the cycle of life, which is spiraling infinitely onward, as it pleases.  |
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lalow33
USA
966 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2016 : 11:15:54 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by anirvachaniya
quote:
Originally posted by Tempest
I was wondering is there anyone here who is enlightened/liberated/ in nirvikalpa or sahaja samadhi?
If so, what practices do you feel most helped you reach this state of consciousness
and
what is life for you like now? Do you experience any suffering?
I thought this was a bit funny because: do you think an enlightened person, by your own standards let's say, would come out and say, "Hey everyone! Yeah! I'm enlightened!" That sort of attitude precedes that sort of answer?
And as far as people commenting on it, saying this and that, seems like they're drawing from sources other than the original source itself, which I find 100% unreliable. Intellectual activists.
Why do you ask?
I don't think there's anything wrong with Tempest's question. I don't think it's funny. Maybe, there's not a clear answer, but it's okay to ask a question. |
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FakeYogi
India
100 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2016 : 01:13:06 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Bodhi Tree
I have no idea of the chronology or length of time in which this unfolding will occur; I only know that such a destiny is as sure as the sun rising tomorrow. Obviously, there will be bumps along the way as things refine.
If there is to be a final climax of Earth consciousness, then it will probably be marked by a collective mahasamadhi in which every single being, including the Earth itself, will voluntarily and consciously return to the infinite source. It would be the most sublime death that could ever be imagined. "A champagne supernova in the sky."
That may be be the original intention but obviously some earths such as ours own will never fulfill that destiny. I don't know if you Bodhi tree has suffered any tragedies in your life but I can't imagine someone believe in the picture you presented who has suffered for example, one of the following :
1. A drone from another country falling on your backyard when you are playing with your kids and killing all your kids, and your parents and grandparents.
2. Your kid got executed by the State for possessing drugs, because of the barbaric laws in your country with barbaric laws. Tribal living without Governments was so much better.
3. You were living a peaceful living in British India at the North west border, then some old men started an Independence movement for liberation from what-you-don't-care, and even achieved it which you did not care, but those old men who started that movement played a dog-fight for power and resulted in partition of the country and suddenly your neighbors of the different religion became your sworn enemies, and they hunted and killed your whole family. You alone escaped, and you live a long time, seeing year after year people celebrate Independence day, and those old men are celebrated. There were millions of families torn apart like yours as a result of an useless Independence and all this is conveniently and deliberately forgotten.
4. You were at the Nazi concentration camp as a captive. No need to explain.
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Edited by - FakeYogi on Apr 09 2016 05:22:44 AM |
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Godslave
Canada
110 Posts |
Posted - May 11 2016 : 3:39:07 PM
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Holy, I really enjoyed reading this :)
quote:
Originally posted by Holy
Hi all,
here some more words to the topic :P
Whatever can change, continues to change. Whatever cannot change, continues to be as it is.
The enlightenment, that is eternal, that which always was, is in this moment and always will be, that which is unmoving, still, now itself, formless, the ground in which all appears and disappears, also known as sat-chit-ananda, is only to be realized (by whatever means) and valued.
The other enlightenment, which happens at some point in time, that which comes and goes, that which can continue, deepen, expand, grow, evolve, become more, has no end, also said to be infinite, is only illusion, maya, shakti, leela.
...
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Holy
796 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2016 : 7:39:44 PM
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| Godslave, you are welcome! |
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acrabbe
Ghana
3 Posts |
Posted - Jul 10 2016 : 11:56:58 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Holy
Godslave, you are welcome!
Holy... I have some questions I would like to ask you. I found this thread by searching for your last post after reading some of your responses in the Swami Mangalananda subforum, but truthfully I welcome a response from any practitioner who is as experienced and knowledgeable as you. I hope it is not inappropriate for this forum (apologies Tempest!) but I need to write this, for reasons that will become clear.
I came across this site while searching for information on Swami Mangalananda. I live in Accra, Ghana and while searching kriya yoga on google I saw that this Swami is scheduled to visit Accra this coming October and in looking for more information about her I ended up seeing your Holy's posts. I have been looking for some basic guidance from someone like you for years now due to a spontaneous awakening I had in 2008. Please bear with me, as I need to give a little background so you can understand where I am coming from. Yogis who regularly experience non-duality and unity with the cosmic consciousness and spiritual realms I welcome your input! Truly!
In 2008 I was a 26 yr old wall st broker and a typical arrogant young man who chased women, drank, used marijuana on a daily basis, and had designs on being rich. I was making lots of money, between 20k and 40k per month depending on my activity, and I was not seeking a higher path whatsoever, I was NOT spiritually inclined. I considered myself a "good" person, but in the way that any selfish intellectual considers themselves a good person. Long story short during that year I was becoming aware that everything I had learned in school about how the global economy works was a lie and my appetite for digging down the rabbit hole was growing tremendously. This began to "open my eyes" to the illusions that exist here in the physical world. Eventually, I had a crisis situation and lost all of my life savings (hundreds of thousands $), blew up all my customer accounts (millions $) all within a span of 3 days due to greed, arrogance and impatience. All totally avoidable and I had NO ONE TO BLAME but myself. I was devastated. I came to work for the next few weeks in total shock, not really conscious, or thinking, just alive and breathing. Understand that my whole identity from the age of 18 entering college up until that point had been driven by an almost obsessive drive to succeed, make lots of money and prove "my superiority" as a genius businessman. Eventually on July 1, 2008 I made the decision to quit my job (I had destroyed everything I worked for), move on with my life and see what was next. This act was more than just quitting, I GAVE UP on my dreams of being a rich playboy and decided I just wanted happiness in life. Remember, my whole identity at the time was Wall street oriented, so my ego was completely shattered when I lost everything. Quitting was me letting go. Walking out of the office building I literally felt like a WEIGHT had been lifted from my shoulders and I was happier than I had ever been (it's so cliche but you really do feel much lighter when you unburden). IT was pure liberation. That day, two coworkers and I went to one's brownstone on the upper west side of manhattan to play some video games and smoke weed. Long story short, while smoking I began to have symptoms of kundalini energy, although at the time I had no clue what was going on. I thought the weed had been spiked but my friends weren't experiencing the spinal energy, the loss of control of limbs, the slowing down of time, the fuzziness in my field of vision due to seeing energy waves, the loud musical sounds. I began panicking and locked myself in the bathroom where I hyperventilated for about 10 minutes thinking I was having a heart attack, stroke, etc. After calming down a bit and laying down across the foot of a bed I was OPENED UP, FROZEN and JOLTED into experiencing the sudden rush from the bottom of the spine to the crown. I saw it from a first-hand perspective as if I was traveling up the spiral and then out the crown into a vast energy field with tall energetic beings (!?) and feeling as though I was pure bliss, thought energy, no time, all knowledge, unconditional love... this was overwhelming for me and the longer I stayed in that state the more I felt like I was dissolving and floating apart, which I thought to be DYING or LOSING MY MIND PERMANENTLY. So naturally, I panicked. I specifically remember saying to myself (my ego talking?) "if you want to live, then fight like you've never fought before" and then projecting fear, anger, fight.... I eventually regained consciousness after kicking a hole in my friends bedroom wall. I then proceeded to babble a bunch of stuff that I have since forgotten, they said I was asking about spirits and other weird questions. For the next few weeks I was in a confused state. I thought I had been spiritually attacked and the energy beings that I saw were demons, or maybe I had almost died and saved myself from crossing over. You can imagine the state of shock and confusion in someone who was NOT SPIRITUALLY INCLINED before this event. I was a changed person. I walked differently after that, was no longer interested in going to clubs and chasing women, was consumed by a thirst for knowledge of the supernatural, etc. It is only recently within the past few years that I have come to truly understand what happened to me and the connection to yoga practice, chakras, energy work, etc. I have very recently been reading works by Swami Yogananda and other kriya yoga publications as they are the closest thing I have found to my experience and what I now know to be true about human destiny and our place in this reality.
I write all this to give you background and proper frame for my next questions, which is the REAL reason I am writing.
Many people who claim to have experienced spontaneous kundalini awakenings seem to have merely activated the chakras, but have not traveled through the crown into the universal consciousness field (or samadhi, crossing the barrier into the spiritual realm). How rare is this? What does it say about my purpose here that my Higher Self was able to take me to such a place upon the temporary surrender of my ego? Does this mean my purpose here is to renounce worldly living and develop my spiritual gifts in order to help others? If I do not develop my spiritual faculties, am I dooming myself to more failures and hard lessons in the world as a result?I have purposefully avoided pursuing a strong meditative practice because part of me is apprehensive about what may come. If I ACCIDENTALLY reached samadhi upon my first spontaneous awakening, what will happen when I begin practicing kriya with diligence? I come from a Christian west african family whose spiritual views are fairly monotheistic and basic (I stopped going to church at 15 when I came to terms with the corruption within human religious organizations) and I worry about abandoning my lifestyle and familiar friends and family. That feeling of dissolving I had makes me fear that I will permanently lose parts of my personality if I go too deep, or even die prematurely (!?) as you have alluded to in your posts about the consciousness becoming too much for the human animal form. I want to pursue bliss and EXPLORE the divine realms, I want nothing more than to experience that state again. but I am oh so scared of completely blowing up my worldly life and those who count on me. Is it possible to be a householder and manage life in non-duality?
I need guidance from someone who has also traveled through the crown and into the Universal Consciousness. I realize that there are people who have meditated and practiced kriya and other yoga arts their entire lives and never reach samadhi, so I am VERY CONFUSED about what it means that I was taken there accidentally, not of my own will but as a result of my "ego death".
I await any guidance... God bless you!
Sincerely, Andrew |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Jul 11 2016 : 01:05:08 AM
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"Ego death" is a shallow gimmick of non-duality teachers that is not advocated in AYP. We advocate transformation of ego, not elimination of it. See this lesson for further details: http://www.aypsite.org/428.html
Similarly, the different levels of samadhi are not harped upon, since such categorization often leads to illusions of attainment that don't really assist in global enlightenment, but merely tickle the minds of gurus and students who want to proclaim their scenery as some kind of final achievement. We don't feed that kind of co-dependence and obsession with benchmarks. We place no ceiling on the level of stillness in action that can be sustained, nor do we put limitations on the outpouring of divine love that can be channeled, though self-pacing is strongly encouraged for the health and safety of the body-mind. See this lesson for further commentary on gradations of samadhi: http://www.aypsite.org/248.html
Since you smoked pot, etc., I would advise attending some AA meetings to get a sober wake-up call as to the state of mainstream recovery and the spiritual paradigms actively in play in our culture. I also have my own website based on AYP (www.ayprecovery.org).
Re: kriya lineages and so forth, indulging in such esoteric language and subcultures will most likely spiral you into another version of Wall Street, but this time with sophisticated spiritual trappings instead of economic ones. A new cage with golden bars.
On that note, any further discussion of kriya must be conducted here: http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic....PIC_ID=12849
Anyway, travelling up into the crown means very little unless you can bring something back down to share (beyond your own detachment and transcendence). For this reason, bhakti and karma yoga are an integral part of AYP as well.
So ultimately, it's not about our ability TO LEAVE or proclaim levels of attainment; it's about our ability TO ARRIVE and become divine instruments in human form.
Marinate on that for a little while.
Good luck! |
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acrabbe
Ghana
3 Posts |
Posted - Jul 11 2016 : 05:39:11 AM
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| Thank you Bodhi Tree for those links. I spoke too soon before exploring. |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Jul 11 2016 : 07:31:18 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by acrabbe
I spoke too soon before exploring.
Nonsense. You ask excellent questions, and you're brave to share your personal story. That's what the forums are for! Enjoy the dialogues, lessons, and networking. There is a wealth of knowledge and personal experience here. Also, AYP Plus is pretty great.
You've come to a special place that is quickly moving beyond the digital world (check out the AYP retreats and teacher training program). |
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Charliedog
1625 Posts |
Posted - Jul 11 2016 : 08:40:53 AM
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quote:
What does it say about my purpose here that my Higher Self was able to take me to such a place upon the temporary surrender of my ego? Does this mean my purpose here is to renounce worldly living and develop my spiritual gifts in order to help others? If I do not develop my spiritual faculties, am I dooming myself to more failures and hard lessons in the world as a result?
Hi acrabbe,
Welcome to these forums. Sudden awakening can be life changing and we will have to deal with that. Except for your personal story, your experience was the same as mine. I never used drugs, but looking back I was like you completely exhausted and in a moment of surrendering it happened. As you already described it is life changing, there is a life before and a life after that moment for me.
It will never be the same as before, and that is a blessing. It is the start of a life journey that will give you many insights in human life, for instance 'ego death' and ' I 'could mean something completely different then what you understand at this moment.
quote:
I want to pursue bliss and EXPLORE the divine realms, I want nothing more than to experience that state again. but I am oh so scared of completely blowing up my worldly life and those who count on me. Is it possible to be a householder and manage life in non-duality?
Yes.
Therefore we have to take up a practice, to develop inner silence or stillness. One Samadhi gave you a very short glimp and now it is up to you. Only you can take up a dedicated practice and see step by step how it will develop. Worrying never helps, the journey will not be an overnight happening ...
Wishing you a smooth journey |
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sunyata
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Jul 11 2016 : 08:48:14 AM
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Hi acrabbe,
Welcome to the forums. You have already received excellent advice from Bodhi and Charliedog. Practices will take you where you would like to be.
Start from this lesson
http://www.aypsite.org/10.html
Quoting Yogani "This freedom, this liberation, is not an external thing, and not an idea or a state of mind. It is not something we can possess."
Sunyata
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Dogboy
USA
2242 Posts |
Posted - Jul 11 2016 : 12:51:13 PM
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Welcome acrabbe  |
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acrabbe
Ghana
3 Posts |
Posted - Jul 11 2016 : 11:47:03 PM
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| Thanks all. @Charliedog it hasn't been easy at all these past 8 years. In many ways I've been trying to avoid dealing with it and I find that somehow it just makes things worse. So i have no choice. I grow farther and farther away from my friends and family and have no choice but to grow towards my intended path. I underatand that in order to regenerate my personal relationships and maintain them in a healthy manner I have to surrender to the meditation and guiding spirit. You guys will be seeing more of me! |
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Charliedog
1625 Posts |
Posted - Jul 12 2016 : 03:32:56 AM
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There is a reason why you found AYP acrabbe , you came to the right place to start practicing. We all have to find out who we are and why we are here, you will notice it in daily life when you find your flow. Daily life becomes easier, magical moments will happen.
Life is like a puzzle, it is a relief and release every time we find a fitting particle to make it whole again.
The paradox is 'the puzzle' is whole, we 'only' have to recognize/realize that, that's the journey. Relations will however change, like all is changing always.
Good luck with the practice, let us know how it works for you |
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Godslave
Canada
110 Posts |
Posted - Jul 14 2016 : 1:13:00 PM
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Welcome, acrabbe .
I personally had a lot of energy experiences with Kundalini and different mental states that I could create within my mind, but I was always struggling until I found the Deep Meditation and Spinal Breathing of AYP here. The Deep Meditation especially brings the inner stillness that gives such a good foundation to make everything feel more stable. It should help you feel peaceful and not continually struggling with trying to "deal with" the energy.
I was raised a Christian and in reading the Bible and trying to follow the teaching of Christ I eventually raised Kundalini, without knowing what it was. I eventually came across Yoga, then much later AYP. I've found that the whole experience of Kundalini and Yoga has resulted in me having a very different and new perspective on the teachings of Christ. But at the same time, I don't feel that I need to reject Christianity or the people I know, I just have a different perspective and way of seeing things. I find that the inner peace from Deep Meditation helps with that. I do find that my own path has taken a bit of a different direction from others I know, but I've noticed over time that each person seems to develop their own path and direction, even within the Christian church. People all have their own ideas of what things mean even within that tradition. |
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sadhak77
Canada
18 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2016 : 12:03:43 AM
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Regarding the discussion about the Buddha's statement of being Awake:
For one who is truly Awake, it might seem paradoxical and contradictory,
but there is zero problem in saying I am Awake, or I am Buddha, or I am That.
Because it is understood that I am That is not two - I am Self alone.
Language is not binding to one who has Realized the Self. |
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Herb
Canada
111 Posts |
Posted - Jan 07 2017 : 11:42:49 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Tempest
Does anyone here know without any doubt that God exists? I mean does anyone feel at one with God and can say so with complete certainty?
Tempest I am a Christian who used to practice Raja Yoga many years ago before I found God for real. I want to answer the above question of yours, but I'm afraid my answer might cause you some confusion. Please try to understand my answer from a Yoga/Hindu point of view if that is where your chosen faith lies.
I searched for God from the early 90's through Christianity. Even though Christianity is an exclusive faith that teaches that Jesus is the only way to salvation, I never believed that part of it. In my heart I knew that there were many paths to God, but that I had simply chosen Christianity as my path.
By 2011 my search for God was bearing fruit. I had begun to search for spiritual practices from other faiths and had become interested in the writings of enlightened/liberated people like M Gandhi. During the fall of 2011, I believe that I was starting to become closer to realizing God. And that closeness was having an affect of my relationships with others. One by one I was reconciling all the estranged relationships, like with family members and co-workers who had not liked me nor me them for a long time, and that was like a miracle.
From the end of 2011 to April my spiritual journey took on a somewhat magical or mystical character. It was like the Spirit was guiding me to that amazing place of salvation/self-realization. My prayers were getting more and more effective and I seemed to be becoming more spiritually sensitive, more discerning to the subtle workings of God.
Then it happened: just seconds into a prayer session with my heart wide open to God He revealed Himself to me! I was overwhelmed with graditude, adoration, reverence and the distict realization of His purity and holiness and my impurity and unholiness. Also the experience was one of increadable bliss, pure bliss so great that it defies a proper explanation.
Immediately after that experience I entered into a period of self denial and deep, deep repentance. And what is more, the experience of devine revelation started to happen again and again. And gradually the duality of the experiences disappeared and, when God chose to bless me with these Massive blessings of God Realization, I began to lose myself in them and merge with Him in an amazing experience of oneness with God.
Now, back to your question. At the time of each massive experience of God Realization, all my doupt about the exsistence of God was removed and I recieved the side benifit of apsolute faith. At that time my belief in the existence of God was apsolute, if I was dying at that time I had apsolutly no doupt at all that I would be going to the other side for real.
Now, regarding the condition of apsolute faith that God exists, my faith would stay very high for a short time then begin to gradually deminish. Luckily, from April 3 to the end of that year God chose to reveal Himself to me in about as many different ways as you can immagine about 50 times. So even though my faith was going up and down, all those experiences also had an additive effect. I was spiritally transformed through and through.
Also, on April 3 2012 I was sanctified as well as saved, by the power of God I was given the ability to stop doing all the sinfull things I had done all my life that are impure, unclean, aggressive, harmful to others, unhealthy, dishonest, ect, ect.
Unfortunately, I chose to turn away from the path of interfaith practices and my spiritual practices became more and more purly biblical and, also less devotional and more academic. Finally by the fall of 2014, after not recieving any massive blessings, devine revelations, or experiences of God Realization for many months, my faith hit the wall and I entered into a period of dryness, that is called the dark night of the soul.
But now I have found this place! I have now been doing AYP meditation and have recieved nothing but kindness, love and sage advice from other members.
My advice to you is to not think too much about the end of the journey because the journey never ends. God is real and if you stay on your present path long enough and seek God with an open heart you will realize Him. And by the way, God's not a Him. He has no gender, that was just my finite human mind that gave Him that term.
I send you much love and desire for spiritual fulfillment
Herb |
Edited by - Herb on Jan 11 2017 02:49:19 AM |
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Godslave
Canada
110 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2017 : 10:00:42 AM
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| Thanks for sharing your story, Herb. |
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Herb
Canada
111 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2017 : 9:02:00 PM
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| You're welcome Godslave. I love that name |
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Godslave
Canada
110 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2017 : 3:06:33 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Herb
You're welcome Godslave. I love that name
I'm curious, why do you love the name "godslave" ? what does it mean to you? |
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delta33
Canada
100 Posts |
Posted - Feb 12 2017 : 9:08:29 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Tempest
...there are mantras which were given which are meant to burn samskaras and speed up the process.
To be honest, despite feeling the kundalini working in me, I haven't experienced any practical effects on my life (feeling of increased calmness or bliss). Repeating mantras doesn't make me feel any happier. BUt I wonder if it just takes many years to feel the effects.
I was wondering whther adding spinal breathing and ayam meditation will help or hinder my progress..
hello tempest
i don't know which spiritual practices will help you
personally, the AYAM mantra meditation slowly and subtly helped me to disengage with the emotions of other people around me. instead of unconsciously reacting to the words and feelings of others, i am able to be more still in myself which allows me to listen to other people with less emotional buy-in.
i've found that just listening to people helps normal life situations a lot, from interpersonal relationships, to working at a job. people want to be heard, and listening without any judgement sometimes helps them disengage from a negative thought pattern all on their own.
sometimes i wonder, if this helps both myself and the other person burn up a karma that had us spinning in an unproductive circle. letting go of a circular thought, or emotion, frees up the energy that was locked up keeping it spinning.. sometimes i get a little thrill of bliss up my spine or a relaxation in my gut when this happens.
other people seem to feed off the silence and sort of become leaches, saying the same thing over and over and with more conviction and force, but AYAM has given me the awareness to recognize this also, and to let go of (dodge, be unaffected by) projected emotional entanglements.
am i enlightened?
no, i don't think so.
i can however see practical improvements to my life, from practicing AYAM meditation. |
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Herb
Canada
111 Posts |
Posted - Feb 12 2017 : 11:56:54 PM
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Delta I think Tempest no longer comes here. It's too bad as he/she made some great points and asked many thought provoking questions. I love your above post. I am going to study it over in the hope of becoming a better listener. In your post I realized some great benifits and potentialities to listening, realy listening, to what others have to say. Just a beatiful post there
Godslave, sorry for the late reply. I was away for a while. Although the term slave has a historically negitive connotation, used in relation to God, it is a wonderfully powerful term. Many english translations of Scripture, have changed the original to servant, because of the historical negativity of the term. However, when one becomes fully God-Realized, one is eager and joyful to be servant or slave to Him.
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Edited by - Herb on Feb 13 2017 02:18:22 AM |
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SeySorciere
Seychelles
1553 Posts |
Posted - Feb 13 2017 : 01:41:02 AM
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Ah.. the challenge that is "listening". Not one of my strong points. I am aware of that and keep making efforts in that direction.
Sey |
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Is anyone here enlightened/liberated?
